My Destructive Triumph
by Darth Frodo
Summary: Brief oneshotrewrite of Danny's feelings and experiences while watching the boiler explode in TUE from right after he captures Dan in the thermos up until Clockwork stops time. Written by request of DPO, more info within the author note.


A/N: Sorry for all the really random stuff that's going up, but I was looking through my documents trying to find my last ASU chapter save (yes, you heard right) and I realized I never put this up here even though I wanted to.

This was my submission for the DPO Season 3 Remix Project where, as aspiring authors for the project, we were asked to rewrite a scene from the show in our own style to give the other authors a general idea of how we write. So I chose a scene from _The Ultimate Enemy_ where Danny watches his family explode in the boiler accident, ending before Clockwork appears. I still have to choose a page from an already written fanfic chapter to submit (a task that's turning out to be really challenging) so any suggestions on which chapter of any fic I should peruse through would be most appreciated!

And for those of you that don't know about he DPO Season 3 Remix Project, allow me to do some pimping. DPO (Danny Phantom Online) is a forum for Danny Phantom fans to discuss various topics regarding the show, the characters, the fan base etc. But in a nutshell this project is being organized by Firefury Amahira (another amazing author on ; you should all know her stories Jeremiad, Anathema, Benediction, and Idemnification XD) who has contacts with Steve Marmel, one of the DP writers for seasons 1 and 2. He's going to give Firefury the notes for what he wanted to happen in season 3 before he got fired and so a few choice authors and artists from DPO and deviantArt are getting involved to make his visions a reality by drawing and writing episodes for his season three. It's a lot of fun and I'm really excited, even if we haven't necessarily gotten the notes yet, but still I'm so definitely excited XD

THESE IDEAS ARE NOT MINE! Yes, I elaborated on the scene, but the scene itself and the ideas that make up it _are not mine!_It was created by Butch Hartman and the writers of the Danny Phantom show! ...I know you all know that since I'm sure you've all seen the episode, but I want to make that perfectly clear so as to avoid any possible copyright infringements.

So again, I only wrote this, but the ideas expressed in it are not mine.

Disclaimer: The TUE scene, dialogue, ideas, and characters are all copyrighted by Butch Hartman and Nickelodeon. The only thing I own here is the pattern of words strung together in this specific order, nothing more.

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**My Destructive Triumph**

He had fought many painful battles, rescued many endangered people, captured many threatening ghosts, but never did he feel such a sense of glorious accomplishment as he did now as he capped his trusty thermos, signifying the triumphant end of his most difficult battle. And while his face bore the evidence of painful exhaustion, he still glowed with triumph.

He had beaten back his own future to save his present.

Or so he thought.

Immediately his thoughts of victory and success vanished like stars in the wake of morning, remembering all too clearly the terrifying predicament of his current situation. He whirled about, gazing in horror at his family and friends, still strapped to the quaking and bubbling vats of Nasty Sauce. His wide blue eyes fell on the warning dial, watching it extend far over the dangerous red as the glass cracked and buckled before bursting.

"Oh no," he gasped, watching in horror as the vats began to steam and crack, violent tremors shaking through the large metal. And his family was still tied to it.

He shoved aside his numbing shock and jumped up, dashing towards them desperately. His heart hammered painfully against his ribs in horrified anticipation, willing his exhausted legs on further and faster. He had to make it, had to close the distance in time. He couldn't bear handling the pain and guilt if he left them to die in the grotesque explosion that was bound to occur any second. He knew what would happen if he didn't, knew the measure of agony and heartbreak he would feel. It was what caused his turn, created the demented monster he had just locked into the thermos, created the despair so great that he wanted his emotions pulled from himself to end the sorrow. He _needed_ to save them.

But he couldn't. He could see it now. He wasn't going to make it simply running. The pleading looks of his bound family bored into him as he ran and he summed up what energy he had left, feeling the satisfactory band of icy cold around his waist. He almost dared to smile as he felt the glorious rise of hope within him, knowing that now he could have a chance. He could save them. But just as quickly as his hope came it was brutally crushed, dissolving just fast as the glowing ring of saving light around his waist, leaving him bare and hopelessly desolate.

"I can't go ghost!" he cried out in frustrated agony, hoping that by admitting it he could maybe find a shred of energy within him, some hidden dedication that could give him the final push. But nothing came and he realized only too late that he was already throwing everything he had into saving them…and it wasn't enough.

And then, as if fate were intent to spit in his pained face, he felt a sharp, aching jolt as his toes crashed into a rock, pitching him headfirst towards the ground.

He was too late. He could feel it in his tormented heart. Even if he could somehow manage to get up and keep running he'd never make it in time. They were just mere seconds away from catastrophe and all he could do now was look, look upon his family for the last time, meeting the eyes of every single one of them.

His mind rushed with all the things he never said, all the things he never did with the ones he loved. So many unsaid declarations of love, so many goals left unfulfilled, so many conversations never had, so many regrets…

He never explained his secret to his family, never told them why he didn't trust them with it, and now they would take that believed mistrust to their grave…

He never showed Lancer that he really did care about his studies, that he was the student he had hoped to be teaching, and now he would go down thinking of him as a failure…

He never told his sister how much she had meant to him, how she had been his best friend through so much no matter how annoying, and now he never would be able to tell her…

He never thanked Tucker for all that he did, for all that be put up with being the best friend of a superhero, and now he had to die for it…

He never told Sam that he loved her, never told her of the undying love he had felt for her since he realized the attractiveness of the opposite gender, and now he would never know how she felt in return…

He met their eyes, taking a last, longing look at every single one of them one last time before stars exploded in his eyes as everyone he knew and loved disappeared in the monstrous explosion. Bits of shrapnel and what he hoped was just nasty sauce dispersed through the air, rocketing towards him as the force threw him off the ground. He watched with unseeing eyes, guiltily hoping that his imminent impact was fatal or that a rock would hit him and end his suffering. But he knew that was too simple of a solution, knew that now he was to feel the utter despair that would soon change him into the monster he had earlier used all his energy to defeat, energy he could have used to save his family. The circular path of his doomed fate was to start again, no matter what he did or how hard he tried or how much he thought he had succeeded.

Because how else could his greatest triumph simultaneously turn into his most desolate defeat? Because no matter how hard he had tried, no matter what he had done, he had lost.

He had lost them all.

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A/N: Yeah, a little short, but that's okay. It was only allowed to be about a page, so it all works XD

And again, if any of you have a suggestion for which chapter of any fic I should pull my one-page submission from, please let me know!

Oh, and I'm hoping to get more updates coming your way soon! Finals just finished and while I have jury duty and Disneyland between me and Christmas and then my winter course, I'm still definitely hoping to get some writing done!


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